Orange Top Saint Joseph’s at Home, 71-63

Thursday, December 11

Syracuse, N.Y.

9:00 PM

Syracuse University

6-3,0-0ACC

Saint Joseph's

6-4,0-0Atlantic 10

Saint Joseph's

Syracuse

12/11/2025 11:34:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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Using a late second half run, Syracuse (6-3) took down Saint Joseph's (6-4) 71-63 on Thursday night at the JMA Wireless Dome to improve to 5-0 at home this season.

Senior William Kyle III picked up his second double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Sophomore Tyler Betsey paced the Orange with a career-high-tying 16 points on an efficient 6-of-9 (.667) from the field, marking his second game leading Syracuse in scoring this season. His six made field goals were the most of his career. Deuce Jones II led the offense for Saint Joseph's with 18 points.

How the Game Was Decided
The Orange and Hawks battled through a tight second half, with Syracuse's lead never exceeding six points over the opening 15 minutes.

With a 59-56 edge and 5:29 showing on the clock, Kyle III finished off a layup through contact before Betsey hit a mid-range jumper to give Syracuse its largest lead of the half up to that point at 63-56.

The spurt kicked off a 9-2 run in which Betsey and Kyle III would add one more bucket each to put the Hawks in the rearview mirror. Syracuse shot 4-of-5 (.800) over the nearly three-minute stretch while the Hawks were 0-of-3 (.000) from the floor. Kyle III and Betsey scored five and four points, respectively, during the deciding run.

Orange Answer Hawks' Fast Start with Defensive Surge
The Hawks got out to a quick start offensively, knocking down 6-of-9 (.667) field goals in the opening six minutes to take an early 14-7 lead over the Orange.

Following the opening run from Saint Joseph's, the Orange answered back as Syracuse's defense stiffened and forced a six-minute field goal drought from the Hawks.

Meanwhile, the Syracuse offense began to find its rhythm with Betsey hitting a pair of threes on top of a mid-range jumper to power a 13-1 run that gave the Orange a 20-15 lead. Seniors J.J. Starling and Kyle III added two points each over the stretch.

The Syracuse defense continued to force miscues from the Hawks for the remainder of the half, creating 10 Saint Joseph's turnovers. The Orange disrupted the Hawks' perimeter shooting, limiting them to 3-of-16 (.188) from deep in the opening 20 minutes.

Trading shots in the final minutes of the half, Kingz contributed a three-pointer to maintain the Orange lead. Syracuse held a 34-30 edge headed into the break.

Kingz paced the Orange with nine points on 3-of-5 (.600) shooting while Jones II kept the Hawks within striking distance with a team-high 12 points in the opening half.

Tight Second Half
Coming out of the break, the Hawks and Orange found themselves trading buckets, with the Orange not leading by more than six in the first 15 minutes of the half. Syracuse never relinquished the lead, but Saint Joseph's managed to tie the game up three times. It wasn't until the 4:28 mark that the Orange would take a lead greater than six points.

The Orange were efficient offensively in the half, shooting 14-of-27 (.519) from the floor. Betsey led the Orange with eight points on 3-of-5 (.600) shooting in the second half.

The Syracuse defense continued to force the Hawks to take difficult shots, holding Saint Joseph's to 9-of-29 (.310) from the field and 2-of-10 (.200) from beyond the arc. The Orange silenced Jones II in the second half, holding him to just six points in the final half.

Notable Numbers

Syracuse held the Hawks to their lowest field-goal percentage of the season, with Saint Joseph's shooting 20-of-56 (.357) from the field.
Kingz has knocked down at least one three-point field goal in eight consecutive contests.
Kyle III posted a new season-best six free throw makes.
Betsey has hit multiple threes in four of his last five appearances.
Junior Naithan George led the team in assists for the seventh time this season, recording three in the triumph over the Hawks.
The Hawks shot 5-of-18 (.278) over the final 16 minutes of the first half.
Seven different players scored for Syracuse in the first half, with Kingz leading the way with nine points.
Syracuse scored 36 points in the paint.
The Syracuse bench contributed 22 points.
The Orange never trailed in the final 30 minutes of the contest.

Up Next
The Orange will have a quick turnaround as they're set to clash with the Hofstra Pride at the JMA Wireless Dome on Saturday. The game will tip off at 4 p.m. and air on ACC Network.

Tickets
Season and individual tickets are available at cuse.com/feature/basketball-tickets

For complete coverage of Syracuse men's basketball, follow the team on X (@Cuse_MBB) and Instagram (cuse_mbb).

Gallery: (12-12-2025) MBB vs St. Joseph's